Gig Gab - The Working Musicians' Podcast

What do you do to ensure you’re always able to entertain an audience? Performing is great, but entertaining is the goal.

Listen as your two favorite weekend warriors talk through this from a few different angles, both as performers and as audience members. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about the songs you select!

Then Dave shares a few aspects of his recent SXSW experience with Paul and all of you, too. Some interesting bands — and band names! — come up, as well as some stories about masterful logistics.

Press play and enjoy...and always be performing! And entertaining!

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 377 – Monday, March 20th, 2023
• 00:01:00 Shows to a Click: Keith Urban vs. New Order
• 00:11:17 The Zombies
• 00:15:04 Staying Power of Music
  • Steve Kritzer
• 00:17:48 The Paul O’Kent Experience...Entertains!
  • Always Be Performing!
• 00:24:49 SPONSOR: Capo is the app that gives you song-learning super-powers. In addition to letting you slow-down and loop sections of songs, capo lifts chords, detects beats, and MUCH more. Visit CapoApp.com from SuperMegaUltraGroovy today.
• 00:26:53 PODCAST: Unstarving Musician — Listen as Robonzohelps independent musicians better understand the marketing, business and creative processes that empower us to make music and make a living doing it.
• 00:27:36 Other Notable SXSW Bands
  • Tayls (Confetti blast mid-show)
  • The Banditos (that singer’s mic technique!)
  • Saloon Dion
• 00:35:38 SXSW Twenty Minute Changeovers
  • “Can I have more guitar in the monitor”
  • “Get your tone and leave it alone”
• 00:43:41 SXSW Add Motion to Your Show. If it’s not you, it’s the lights
  • “my education” used motion laser light show to make them interesting to watch
  • Maybe the Chauvet DJ Scorpion Dual RGB?
• 00:46:17 GG 377 Outtro
  • [email protected]

The post Always Be Entertaining — Gig Gab 377 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Sometimes Paul says, “Always Be Performing.” Ok, he always says that. This time, though, Paul says, “Raise Your Damned Prices!”

As working musicians, we need to figure out how to raise our baseline pay. Sure, some of us have figured it out for our specific gigs, and obviously the touring industry has figured it out. But the club gigs are still paying what they used to pay and, well, it’s gotta give!

That’s not all, though. Dave arrived in Austin for SXSW mere hours before recording the show, but he still got a music documentary in under the wire to discuss. That, plus some good gigs had by your two favorite weekend warriors rounds out the show.

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 376 – Monday, March 13th, 2023
• 00:01:00 What is SXSW?
• 00:11:59 SPONSOR: Bandzoogle — Listeners can go to Bandzoogle.com to try it free for 30 days, and use the promo code “giggab” to get 15% off the first year of any subscription.
• 00:13:52 PODCAST: Unstarving Musician — Listen as Robonzohelps independent musicians better understand the marketing, business and creative processes that empower us to make music and make a living doing it.
• 00:14:43 Raise Your Damned Prices
  • UMAW says SXSW should pay bands more
• 00:38:13 Joan Baez, I am a Noise
• 00:42:56 Good Gigs a Plenty!
• 00:50:06 GG 376 Outtro
  • [email protected]

The post Raise Your Damned Prices! — Gig Gab 376 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Last episode, your two favorite weekend warriors talked about the bliss that is a good monitor mix. This time, they might have stumbled upon a secret to repeating that!

Listen as Paul Kent and Dave Hamilton talk through not just monitor mixes, but song choices, musical evolution, Ticketmaster, and much more.

Press play and, hey, remember? Leave that gain alone, yes, but also...Always Be Performing.

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 375 – Wednesday, March 1st, 2023
• 00:01:28 Bands coming up
  • BAM Magazine
  • John Mayer
• 00:09:13 Springsteen (Still) Delivers
• 00:15:18 Ticketmaster Behind-the-scenes
• 00:20:48 SPONSOR: Capo is the app that gives you song-learning super-powers. In addition to letting you slow-down and loop sections of songs, capo lifts chords, detects beats, and MUCH more. Visit CapoApp.com from SuperMegaUltraGroovy today.
• 00:22:48 PODCAST: The Music Production Podcast. Hosted by musician, educator, and author, Brian Funk and his guests explore the technical, creative, and philosophical sides of making music.
• 00:23:43 Houserockers Rehearsal
  • Uptight by Stevie Wonder
  • Train in Vain by The Clash
  • Keeping The Faith by Billy Joel
  • Walk The Dinosaur by Was Not Was
  • Stay With Me by The Faces
  • Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy by Big and Rich
  • Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top
• 00:36:58 Tantrum...Leave Those Gains Alone!
  • Episode 364 with Davis Thurston
• 00:46:08 SXSW Coming up!
• 00:49:54 GG 375 Outtro
  • [email protected]

The post Hey, Leave Those Gains Alone — Gig Gab 375 appeared first on Gig Gab.

How much leverage does your band have? Do you check your Messenger? Does your band reserve dates months in advance?

More importantly, how are these questions related? Well, your two favorite weekend warriors cover all three of them this week on Gig Gab!

Listen as Paul and Dave share their thoughts about gigs, rehearsals, cancelations, fill-ins, and quitting band members that have all happened in the past WEEK! Yep, lots to cover, and you get to join along for the right.

Press play, enjoy, and always be performing!

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 374 – Sunday, February 19th, 2023
• 00:01:01 Eight Years of Bending Your Ears
  • Gig Gab’s First Release!
• 00:03:23 The Value of Collaboration
  • Bitter Pill
• 00:12:12 Check your Messenger!
  • Fling
• 00:17:14 How Important Is it to hear?
• 00:19:24 SPONSOR: Bandzoogle — Listeners can go to Bandzoogle.com to try it free for 30 days, and use the promo code “giggab” to get 15% off the first year of any subscription.
• 00:21:47 Everyone quit!
  • Uptown Celebration
• 00:24:46 The Value of Blocking Saturdays
• 00:39:09 Managing Your Relationship With a Club
  • The Stone Church
• 01:06:47 GG 374 Outtro
  • [email protected]

The post Eight Years of Bending Your Ears – Gig Gab 374 appeared first on Gig Gab.

Of course you’ve had to cancel gigs, and of course you’ve had gigs canceled. But did you feel the same about each of those scenarios?

Listen as Paul and Dave talk through their feelings on cancellations, and how they affect reputations, in general.

Dave had a last-minute gig come up, which led to a rehearsal, which led to a 3-hour drive where he listened to all three of Fling’s EPs...and he shares his reactions to the evolution of that body of work.

Paul had four gigs in as many days, and threw a rehearsal in the middle for good measure. He muses on what it takes to keep a band together, and how that might evolve over time, too.

That’s not all, folks. Your two favorite weekend warriors have a couple of quick hits to share and get your reactions from, as well. Send ’em in to [email protected].

Oh, and always be performing, eh?

• 00:00:00 Gig Gab 373 – Monday, February 13th, 2023
• 00:01:01 Side Door offers $500 to any touring artist showcasing at SXSW or FAI
• 00:02:45 Fling EP Release Surprise at The Stone Church
• 00:04:23 Plans...or NO plans...coming together!
• 00:14:05 Drew comes up!
• 00:15:35 SPONSOR: Capo is the app that gives you song-learning super-powers. In addition to letting you slow-down and loop sections of songs, capo lifts chords, detects beats, and MUCH more. Visit CapoApp.com from SuperMegaUltraGroovy today.
• 00:17:48 The Evolution of Sweet Caroline (In Italy!)
• 00:21:02 Red Cross Plays 80s Music at Blood Drives...Why?
• 00:24:14 Fling’s EPs over time (Demo to Produced!)
  • iZotope Ozone vs. Lurssen Mastering Console
• 00:32:06 Canceling on a Club vs. The Club Canceling On You
  • Situational Ethics
  • What’s Your Band’s Fungibility?
• 00:49:40 Happy Birthday, Nick!
• 00:50:16 GG 373 Outtro
  • [email protected]

The post What’s Your Band’s Fungibility? — Gig Gab 373 appeared first on Gig Gab.